Vending machine for cooled articles especially for ices

ABSTRACT

A cooling circuit within the housing of an automatic vending machine for cream ices covers only the lower part of the housing onto a level just above the upper side of a helically rotatable magazine in its lowest position. The helically arranged compartments of the latter are in a manner known per se under control of a coin-actuated mechanism and successively brought to register with a delivery opening provided in the casing just below the said upper cooling space level. By opening the upper space of the housing above the said level the empty magazine is made accessible at least at its front and at both sides. The compartments are downwardly inclined onto the center of the magazine and in any position of the latter the cooled space is separated by empty magazine parts from the noncooled space within the housing.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Alexander H. L. Spronken Beck, Netherlands [21] Appl. No. 788,529 [22] Filed Jan. 2,1969 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [73] Assignee Spronken N.V.

Beck, Netherlands [3 2] Priority Jan. 4, I968 [33] Netherlands [31] 6800139 [54] VENDING MACHINE FOR COOLED ARTICLES ESPECIALLY FOR ICES 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 312/36 [51] Int. Cl. A47i 1/00 [50] Field olSearch 312/36;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,025,978 5/1912 Herman 312/36 X 2,435,177 1/1948 Connelletal 221/150X FOREIGN PATENTS 380,926 9/1932 Great Britain 312/36 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay 1 Assistant Examiner-James C. Mitchell AttorneyHolman & Stern ABSTRACT: A cooling circuit within the housing of an automatic vending machine for cream ices covers only the lower part of the housing onto a level just above the upper side of a helically rotatable magazine in its lowest position. The helically arranged compartments of the latter are in a manner known per se under control of a coin-actuated mechanism and successively brought to register with a delivery opening provided in the casing just below the said upper cooling space level.

By opening the upper space of the housing above the said level the empty magazine is made accessible at least at its front and at both sides.

The compartments are downwardly inclined onto the center of the magazine and in any position of the latter the cooled space is separated by empty magazine parts from the noncooled space within the housing.

VENDING MACHINE FOR COOLED ARTICLES ESPECIALLY FOR ICES The invention relates to an automat from which cooled articles are made available, especially a coin-actuated vending machine for ices, wherein a magazine for the articles is arranged in a housing so as to be movable to successive articledelivering positions.

The constructions suggested for such vending machines have drawbacks especially because of the entrance of surrounding air when the magazine is filled with new ware.

For ice cream-vending machines the difficultyis encountered that relatively strong changes of temperature occur in the ices during the period between taking them from the cooled transport car until the time at which they are cooled down again to the desired temperature in the magazine after filling the latter. Even when the temperature of the ices remains below the .freezing point, such fluctuations of temperature cause crystallization in the ice cream, the crystals being larger accordingly as the fluctuations of temperature are greater..

It is an object of the invention to overcome such troubles and to achieve this with a cooling unit having a lower capacity than was necessary before.

It is a further object of the invention to avoid the difficulties of the freezing of moisture entered with the outer air into the machine to critical parts of the moving mechanism.

The invention and a number of advantageous details thereof are defined in the attached claims and hereinafter clarified with reference to the accompanying drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is represented. In the diagrammatical drawing, known parts, such as a cooling unit as suchand a coin inserting and control mechanism, are not represented:

FIG. 1 shown a vertical section along the line I-I in FIG. 2 through a vending machine, in which two magazines for the articles are accommodated, one of which being represented in an elevational view and the'other in section along the line Ia-Ia of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 a horizontal cross section alongthe line ll-ll of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 a vertical section along the line III-III of FIG. 2, the bearing and moving parts of the magazine, however, being not shown in this figure.

The embodiment relates to a coin-actuated vending machine for ices, the coin-activated switching devices for switching on an electromotor'l, for each of the two magazines 2 and 3, being not represented, since these parts are not essential for the clarification of the invention.

By inserting a coin'one of'the magazines 2 or 3 at choice is set into motion by a motor'shaft 4 and the rope pulleys 5 and 6 coupled by a rope 7. The hollow shaft-8 on which the rope pulley 6 is secured is thereby'rotated and this shaft carries the magazine 2 in a manner which will be clarified hereinafter.

Each of the magazines 2, 3 is arranged for stepwise rotating movement and simultaneous movement in the vertical direction as is'known per se for a coin-actuated vending apparatus iof cooled articles from British Pat. specification 380,926.

However, it is essential'for the present invention, that the lower part 9 of the housing is executed as a refrigerating space, wherein the cooling circulation'takes'place between about the level of the line lI-II in FIG. 1 and the bottom of the housing.

The top structure, denoted by l0, contains the aforementioned driving parts lto'8,but it is not a part of the cooling circuit. 9

Each magazine contains a plurality of compartments such as 11, in which the ices are located as represented inFIG. 3 for an ice 12 with a steml3.

On each stepwise rotating movement of the magazine caused by the insertion of a coin a successive compartment 1] containing an ice is brought in a delivery position that is before the delivery flap 14 with the handle 15. The electrical device which iscontrolled by insertion of a coin frees at the same time the flap 14 so that it can be opened and the ice 12 can be taken out. Of the electric control device only the contacts 16 of one relay arrangement 17 are shown, the contacts 16 being provided in a ring-shaped configuration on the pulley 6. The opening 14 for the delivery of the articles is situated just below the level where the cooling space 9 adjoins the noncooled part 10 of the housing. I

Because of the vertical translative movement of the magazine 2 simultaneously with each stepwise rotation the empty compartments 11 enter successively into the noncooled space 10. The compartments filled with ices however stay always in the cooled space. When the complete magazine is in the noncooled space the magazine will be empty. By removing the cap 10 or by opening a door for the upper part of the housing, the magazine can swiftly be refilled, as all the compartments at the front side are made admissible around about half the circumference of the magazine. The filling can be started at the lower compartments and the filled compartments will enter successively and without delay into the refrigerated space 9 by the rotation of the magazine during the filling operation.

Therefore the rise of temperature of each of the ices during the loading operation will be very small.

Moreover the refrigerator space 9 is at any time screened from the upper space 10 by means of the empty compartments 11 above the level corresponding with the line IIII in FIG. 1, so that the temperature in the refrigerated space is hardly influenced by the temperature in the top space 10.

The cooling economy is very favorable because the cooled part of the housing is only the lower part thereof, and is limited to the space necessary to house the magazine in its lowest position.

The warmer air in the upper part of the housing above the refrigerated space 9 due to the smaller specific gravity thereof will not sink into the refrigerating space. As far as a transfer of heat is effected this could only take place by conduction and convection currents, but those play a negligible part.

A further considerable advantage is obtained by the fact that filling of the magazine takes place fully outside the refrigeration space 9 and warm air entering from the outside does not enter the cooling zone.

This is favorable in view of the economy of the cooling apparatus, but it also reduces the freezing of moisture. introduced with the air upon driving and guiding parts in the refrigerating space.

In an embodiment as described the temperature at'the bottom of the refrigerated space 9 is 35 and at the location of the ice 12 in FIG. 3 still some degrees below the permissible limit of approximately l8. Since the situation remains unchanged until the entire contents of the magazine have been sold, on the understanding that the temperature of the lower ices rises gradually to approximately I8 in the process of raising the magazine no difficulties are encountered as to crystallization in the ices. I

It is further visible in the figures that the supporting face for the articles, as denoted by 18 for the compartment 11, is constructed so as to be downwardly inclined from the delivery side. As a result the ice always sinks toward the colder area but the end by which it is taken out, in the present case with a stem 13, reaches up to the flap 14.

The division of the magazine into compartments as effected by radial partitions such as 20 and 21 is known per se from the above-mentioned British Pat. No. 380,926.

However in the present case insulation spaces 20 and 21 (FIG. 3) are created in the border area between the refrigerating space 9 and the upper space 10 of the housing, thanks to the downward inclinement of the supporting faces such as 18. Another advantage thereof isthat the displacement of the ices owing to accidental shocks or external violence is prevented.

The further safeguard against the inconvenience caused by frozen condensate is obtained as follows:

The driven hollow shaft 8 is split, so that the angle strips 27 28 supporting the magazine can move upwards through these slits. The rope pulley 6, driving the shaft 8 is fixed in position on the threaded end 23 by the nut 22. At the level of the rope pulley 6 a ball bearing 24 supports the hollow shaft 8 on a hollow stationary spindle 25. This bearing will not give rise to difficulties on account of freezing moisture from the air, since it is not in the refrigerating space. Further the main ball bearing 31 for movably supporting the magazine 3 is situated in the proximity of the partition line Il-ll between the refrigerating space 9 and the other part 10 of the housing, that is to say, at a location whereat low temperatures prevail but where those have nevertheless the highest values in the refrigerating space so that the risks for this hearing with a view to the lubrication are made also not very critical.

At about the same level a nut 26 is provided connected with the magazine 3 via the angle strips 27, 28. The nut 26 cooperates with a thread guide 29 in the central stationary spindle 25, so that the magazine is moved in an axial direction just for the difference of height of two successive compartments for the articles with a rotation step of the magazine by which one compartment 11 behind the flap [4 is replaced by a following compartment. For this purpose the compartments themselves are helically arranged about the shaft with the same pitch as the thread guide 29.

The cylindrical inner wall 30 of the magazine 3 and the ball bearing 31 by which it is guided on the hollow driving shaft 8 have wide dimensions. The same applies for the step bearings 33 for the shaft 8 on the bottom of the refrigerating space. If desired, heating spirals, like those indicated by the dotted lines 34 and 35, can be built in the hollow spindle in order to prevent any risk of disturbance for the bearings under exceptional circumstances especially when a lower bearing 32 for the magazine would be provided.

The space between each magazine and the walls of the housing leaves ample opportunity to arrange a refrigeration unit for the cooling chamber within the housing part 9. Such a refrigeration unit can take also a part of the backwall cross section now batched in the figures.

When such a unit is placed near the bottom of the space 9, the cooling area will extend from there upwardly onto just above the level Il-ll and from there inwardly and back to the bottom.

The wall of the flap 14 which is now hatched in FIG. 3 can be restricted to a thin hinged wall on the outside, the port against which this flap l4 fits being provided with a heater to prevent freezing of moisture within this port.

I claim:

1. A coin-actuated vending machine for cooled articles, comprising a housing having a lower refrigerating space and an upper nonrefrigerated space, an article delivery opening in said housing adjacent the level separating said refrigerating space from said nonrefrigerated space, and a magazine having a plurality of compartments therein situated within said housing, said magazine being progressively movable from said refrigerating space into said nonrefrigerated space to successively position each of the article compartments in juxtaposition to said delivery opening for removal of the cooled articles therefrom, said magazine further being progressively movable from said nonrefrigerated space into said refrigeration space during refilling of the article compartment, whereby at all times all compartments containing cooled articles will be disposed substantially within said refrigerating space and all empty compartments will be disposed substantially within said nonrefrigerated space.

2. A vending machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said article delivery opening is situated within said refrigerating space immediately below the separating level.

1 3. A vending machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the article compartments of the said magazine are downwardly inclined away from said article delivery opening in the said housing.

4. A coin-actuated vending machine for cooled articles,

comprising a housing having a lower refri eratin s ace and an upper nonrefrigerated space; a centra threa e spindle within said housing and extending longitudinally through both of said spaces; a rotatable article magazine mounted on said spindle for longitudinal and rotational movement relative thereto between an uppermost position wherein said magazine is fully received within said nonrefrigerated space, and a lowermost position wherein said magazine is fully received within refrigerating space, said article magazine having a plurality of article compartments disposed helically about the circumference thereof and being mounted on said spindle by means of a nut threaded on said spindle and a pair of crossarms extending through slits in a hollow drive shaft and secured to said nut and said housing; and bearing means rotatably supporting said magazine upon the hollow drive shaft adjacent a level separating lower refrigerating space from said upper nonrefrigerated space.

. 5. A coin-actuated vending machine as defined in claim 4, further comprising heating means for said central threaded spindle below the separating level, whereby the formation of frost adjacent to said spindle in said refrigerating space is substantially prevented. 

1. A coin-actuated vending machine for cooled articles, comprising a housing having a lower refrigerating space and an upper nonrefrigerated space, an article delivery opening in said housing adjacent the level separating said refrigerating space from said nonrefrigerated space, and a magazine having a plurality of compartments therein situated within said housing, said magazine being progressively movable from said refrigerating space into said nonrefrigerated space to successively position each of the article compartments in juxtaposition to said delivery opening for removal of the cooled articles therefrom, said magazine further being progressively movable from said nonrefrigerated space into said refrigeration space during refilling of the article compartment, whereby at all times all compartments containing cooled articles will be disposed substantially within said refrigerating space and all empty compartments will be disposed substantially within said nonrefrigerated space.
 2. A vending machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said article delivery opening is situated within said refrigerating space immediately below the separating level.
 3. A vending machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the article compartments of the said magazine are downwardly inclined away from said article delivery opening in the said housing.
 4. A coin-actuated vending machine for cooled articles, comprising a housing having a lower refrigerating space and an upper nonrefrigerated space; a central threaded spindle within said housing and extending longitudinally through both of said spaces; a rotatable article magazine mounted on said spindle for longitudinal and rotational movement relative thereto between an uppermost position wherein said magazine is fully received within said nonrefrigerated space, and a lowermost position wherein said magazine is fully received within refrigerating space, said article magazine having a plurality of article compartments disposed helically about the circumference thereof and being mounted on said spindle by means of a nut threaded on said spindle and a pair of crossarms extending through slits in a hollow drive shaft and secured to said nut and said housing; and bearing means rotatably supporting said magazine upon the hollow drive shaft adjacent a level separating lower refrigerating space from said upper nonrefrigerated space.
 5. A coin-actuated vending machine as defined in claim 4, further comprising heating means for said central threaded spindle below the separating level, whereby the formation of frost adjacent to said spindle in said refrigerating space is substantially prevented. 